Elastic type exerciser with elastically held hand grip assembly

ABSTRACT

An exercising device having a pair of resiliently connected handles. Each handle has a gripping portion which extends through the user&#39;&#39;s hand to provide a hand-grasp during exercise, and connecting portions which are integral with and extend longitudinally from respective ends of the first portion. A pair of elastic tubes of equal lengths connect the handles and have an internal diameter less than the diameter of the connecting portions of the handles. One connecting portion of each handle is resiliently received in the end of a tube to interconnect the handles and allow flexation of the device by the user.

a United States atent [is] 3,655,185 Kane 1451 Apr. 11, 1972 s41 ELASTICTYPE EXERCISER WITH 2,807,254 9/1957 Stribling ..124/20 ELASTICALLY 1minHAND GRIP P EX Ri h dc F kh rzmary ammerc an 1n am ASSEMBLY AssistantExaminer-William R. Browne [72] Inventor: Gerald E. Kane, 1107 West ParkFront, Attorney-Hofgren, Wegner, Allen, Stellman&McCord Joliet, Ill.[22] Filed: Apr. 23, 1970 [57] h ABSTRACT f Sm An exercising deviceaving a pair 0 re 'ently connected [21] Appl' 31,196 handles. Eachhandle has a gripping portion which extends through the users hand toprovide a hand-grasp during exer- 521 U.S. c1. ..272/82, 272/57 R,128/25 R and connecting Portions which are integral with and 51] I C IA63! 21/00 3 21/02 tend longitudinally from respective ends of the firstportion. A 58 1 Field of Search ..;.124/2o- 272/82 83 R 79 R P elastictubes equal lengths the handles and have an internal diameter less thanthe diameter of the connecting portions of the handles. One connectingportion of [56] References Cited each handle is resiliently received inthe end of a tube to inter- UNITED STATES PATENTS connect the handlesand allow flexation of the device by the 2,590,951 4/1952 Farison..272/s2 user 2,645,217 7/ l 953 Fisher 124/20 6 Claims, 6 DrawingFigures ELASTIC TYPE CISER WITH ELASTICALLY HELD HAND G ASSEMBLYBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an improvedexercising device.

Before the present invention, various devices have been proposed forexercising the arm and chest muscles. In some of these devices, elasticmaterials have been connected to a pair of handles to permit flexationof the device for exercise. However, difficulty has been encountered inattaching the elastic material to the handles due to deterioration ofthe material and wear in the device with resulting severence of theconnection. Moreover, the attachment has often been made through the useof additional parts which add to the cost of the device and which posethe chance of damage to the clothing or injury to the skin of auserduring exercise.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One feature of the present invention is thatthe handles of the exercising device are connected to flexible tubes ina simplified manner and without extra or moving parts. Moreparticularly, a pair of handles have a grip portion to provide ahand-grasp during exercise with sufficient length to extend through bothsides of the hand. The handles has connecting portions which areintegral with and which extend longitudinally from respective ends ofthe grip portion. A pair of elastic tubes of equal lengths have aninternal diameter less than the diameter of the connecting portions. Oneconnecting portion of each handle is resiliently received in oppositeend portions of each tube to interconnect the handles.

A feature of the invention is that the resiliency of the tubes retainthe tube ends on the connecting portions during exercise.

Another feature of the present invention is that the connecting portionsare disposed to apply force to the tubes at approximately right anglesto the direction of tube flexation.

The connecting portions include a plurality of contiguous knobs whichare longitudinally separated from each other by lateral circumferentialdepressions.

Another feature of the invention is that the connected tube end portionsterminate in the lateral depressions most adjacent the first handleportions to prevent slippage of the tubes from the connecting portions.

Further features will become more fully apparent in the followingdescription of the embodiment of this invention and from the appendedclaims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of one embodiment of the exercising devicemade according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the exercising device as flexed by theusers hands and foot;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view, partly broken away, of the exercisingdevice in a stressed condition from flexation by a user's hands;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view, partly broken away, on anenlarged scale showing a tube ending resiliently received on aconnecting portion;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view on an enlarged scale of theconnecting portion of the handle with the tube ending unconnected; and

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the exercising device with the tubescrossed and positioned beneath a users foot.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 3,an exercising device, generally designated 10, is shown with a pair ofhandles, designated generally 12, interconnected by a pair of resilienttubes 14 of equal lengths. During exercise, the device may be flexed bythe hands 16 of a user in order to develop the chest and arm muscles.

The handles 12 have a first portion 18 to allow a hand-grasp duringexercise by the user. The first portions 18 are generally round and havesufficient length to extend through both sides of the hands whengrasped. On the outside, the first portions 18 are knurled, as at 20,with alternate protrusions 22 and depressions 24, and on the inside, thefirst portions 18 have a flat surface 26.

Each of the handles 12 has a pair of connecting portions or connectors28 which are integral with and extend longitudinally from the firstportions 18. The connecting portions 28 serve as a connection betweenhandles 12 and the end portions 30 of tubes 14 for application of forceby the handles to the tubes for flexation. Since the connectors extendlongitudinally from the first portions 18, force is applied by handles12 at approximately right angles to the direction of flexation of thetubes 14.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the connecting portions 28 have first andsecond knobs respectively 34 and 36 separated from each other by alateral depression 38 which extends circumferentially around connectingportions 28. The second knob 36 is intermediate the first knob 34, eachof the latter having a smoothly rounded end surface as seen in FIGS. 4and 5 and which defines the end of the connecting portions 28, and thefirst handle portion 18 and is separated from the first handle portionby a lateral circumferential depression 40.

As shown in FIG. 4, the internal diameter of tube endings 30 is lessthan the diameter of knobs 34 and 36, and the knobs of connectingportions 28 are resiliently received in tube ends 30 with the end of thetubes terminating in the depressions 40 most adjacent first handleportions 18. The greater diameter of knobs 34 and 36 expand tube endings30 in order that the elasticity of the tubes retain end portions 30 onthe connectors 28 during flexation of the device 10 by the user.Slippage of tube endings 30 from connecting portions 28 is alsoprevented by the termination of tubes 14 in depressions 40, and, in apreferred embodiment, depressions 38 and 40 have a diameter greater thanthe internal diameter of tube endings 30 to also expand the tube ends.Since knobs 34 and 36 and first handle portions 18 are integral witheach other a simplified connection between handles 12 and tubes 14 isprovided with no moving parts which could tear the clothing or pinch theskin of a user.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the tubes 14 are interconnected to the handles12 with each end 30 of a tube connected to one connecting portion 28 ofdifferent handles 12, and the tubes are arranged to be substantiallyparallel to each other during flexation of the device for stability ofthe handles during exerelse.

The simplified structure of the exercising device provides the user withalternate ways in which exercise may be performed. As illustrated inFIG. 6, the handles 12 may be turned so that the tubes 14 cross at acentral location 50, and the in tersecting portions of the tubes arethen anchored to the floor by the users foot 52. As shown in FIG. 2, thehandles are pulled by the hands 16 to flex the tubes in a verticaldirection and provide exercise to the arms and leg of the user.

Preferably, the tubes 14 are made from latex tubing since it is foundthat latex has greater resiliency and is subject to less deteriorationthan other flexible materials, such as rubber. In addition, when theexercising device is used for therapeutic purposes, it is found thatlatex withstands a greater number of clinical sterilizations withoutdeterioration or cracking.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness ofunderstanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understoodtherefrom as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. An exercising device comprising:

a pair of handles having a gripping portion to provide a hand-graspduring exercise, said gripping portion having a sufficient length toextend through both sides of a hand when grasped, and each handle havingconnecting portions integral with and extending longitudinally fromrespective ends of said gripping portion;

and a pair of elastic tubes each having an internal diameter nectingportions most adjacent said gripping portions.

less than the diameter of said connecting portions, each 4. Theexercising device of claim 3 in which the knobs adof said tubesinterconnecting the connecting portion of j m id i i portions are ted fo th g i i One handle with the connecting Portion of the other portionsby lateral circumferential depressions.

die and the interconnection? between the tubes and the 5 5. Theexercising device of claim 4 in which each of said handles consisting ofa plurality of smoothly rounded conconnecting portions has a first knobd fi i the d of the necting knobs at each end of each handle and saidknobs telescoping within the end portions of the tube. 2. The exercisingdevice of claim 1 in which said connecting portion comprises, theoutermost one of said knob of each connecting portion having anuninterrupted smoothly rounded surface defining the end of saidconnecting portions. Said iateral depresslons are greater than thelmenor d'ameter 3. The exercising device of claim 2 in which saidconnecting of sald tubes tube end portions terminate in lateraldepressions in the conconnecting portions and a second knob intermediatesaid first knob and gripping portions, and in which the tube endsterminate between said second knobs and gripping portions.

6. The exercising device of claim 5 in which the diameter of

1. An exercising device comprising: a pair of handles having a gripping portion to provide a handgrasp during exercise, said gripping portion having a sufficient length to extend through both sides of a hand when grasped, and each handle having connecting portions integral with and extending longitudinally from respective ends of said gripping portion; and a pair of elastic tubes each having an internal diameter less than the diameter of said connecting portions, each of said tubes interconnecting the connecting portion of one handle with the connecting portion of the other handle and the interconnections between the tubes and the handles consisting of a plurality of smoothly rounded connecting knobs at each end of each handle and said knobs telescoping within the end portions of the tube.
 2. The exercising device of claim 1 in which said connecting portion comprises, the outermost one of said knob of each connecting portion having an uninterrupted smoothly rounded surface defining the end of said connecting portions.
 3. The exercising device of claim 2 in which said connecting tube end portions terminate in lateral depressions in the connecting portions most adjacent said gripping portions.
 4. The exercising device of claim 3 in which the knobs adjacent said gripping portions are separated from the gripping portions by lateral circumferential depressions.
 5. The exercising device of claim 4 in which each of said connecting portions has a first knob defining the end of the connecting portions and a second knob intermediate said first knob and gripping portions, and in which the tube ends terminate between said second knobs and gripping portions.
 6. The exercising device of claim 5 in which the diameter of said lateral depressions are greater than the interior diameter of said tubes. 